Hinge bracket and brace for table legs and the like



y 10, 1955 E- w. ANDERSON ETAL 2,708,145

HINGE BRACKET AND BRACE FOR TABLE LEGS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 23. 1953United States Patent fii ce 2,708,145 Patented May 10, 1955 HINGEBRACKET AND BRACE FOR TABLE LEGS AND THE LIKE Enfred W. Anderson andArvid J. Anderson, Norway, Mich.

Application September 23, 1953, Serial No. 381,812

2 Claims. (Cl. 311-77) This invention appertains broadly to collapsibletables of the type commonly referred to as card tables, and moreparticularly to a folding leg structure for tables of any desiredcharacter, and is an improvement over our Patent No. 2,621,992 issued tous December 16, 1952.

One of the primary objects of our present invention is to provide animproved, combined latch and brace structure for tables of the type inwhich the legs are hinged inwardly from the edge of the table anddiverge outwardly from the table when they are in their open position toform a wide, stable base, the latch bar utilized to hold a leg in itsopen position functioning as a brace between its leg and the skirt ofthe table.

Another salient object of the invention is to provide a pivoted latchbar and brace normally held in longitudinal alignment with its leg, whenthe leg is in a collapsed position against the table top and movableoutwardly automatically to its latching and bracing position by the mereopening of the leg, the outer end of the latch extending beyond theinner end of its leg and the pivot point thereof for engagement with thetable to swing the latch outwardly to its latching position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a tubular legsuitably slotted, so that the latch bar can be mounted directly thereinand so that the walls of the slot will function as a guide for the latchbar during its swinging movement.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a novelsupporting bracket for pivotally carrying the leg, the bracketfunctioning as a guide for the leg, a keeper for the latch bar and awear plate against which the latch bar slides during the opening andclosing of the leg.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a leg mounting ofthe above character, which will be durable and eiiicient in use, onethat will be simple and easy to manufacture, one which can beincorporated with a table top at a low cost and one which can be easilyactuated by the user of the table.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will behereinafter more specifically described and claimed and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table equipped with our improved legmounting.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of a table embodying our invention, theview showing the legs in their collapsed folded position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail vertical sectional viewthrough the table taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, looking in thedirection of the arrows, the view showing a leg in its collapsedposition in full lines and in its partially and full open position indotted lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, taken on a larger scale thanFigure 2, showing the improved leg mounting.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the leg mounting, takenon the line 5-5 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts through out the several views, the letterT generally indicates a table provided with our improved mounting orfixtures F for the swinging legs 10 of the table.

The table T can be of any desired type or character best suited for thepurpose intended, and in the drawing, we have shown a substantiallyordinary card table. As illustrated, the table T includes a top 11having a depending marginal skirt 12. The legs 10 are hingedly carriedby the lower surface of the table by means of our fixtures F. In theircollapsed position, the legs 10 extend diagonally inward across thetable top from the corner of the table, and in their open positiondiverge outwardly at an angle to the vertical to form a wide spreading,stable base.

The legs 10 are preferably formed from lengths of tubing and the innerends of the legs are provided with longitudinally extending slots 13which open out through the outer faces of the legs. The inner ends ofthese slots are enlarged, as at 14.

All of the leg mountings or fixtures F are identical, and hence only onewill be described in detail. Each leg fixture or mounting F includes asupporting bracket 15 of a substantially U-shape in cross-section andhence the racket includes a top attaching and wear plate 16, and spacedparallel depending side walls 17. The bracket is rigidly secured by woodscrews 13 to a fastening brace block 19, which extends diagonally acrossthe corner of the table top. Each brace block is secured to the lowersurface of the table top in any desired way, such as by fasteningelements, or by the use of a desired type adhesive. The outer edge ofthe top plate 16 of the supporting bracket 15 is provided with anangularly extending keeper flange 20, for a purpose, which will laterappear, and it is to be noted that the brace block 19 beyond the keeperflange 2!) is provided with a groove 21.

Securely welded, or otherwise fastened to the extreme inner end of eachleg 10 is a hinge bracket 22 and this hinge bracket is also of a U-shapein cross section. Thus, each hinge bracket 22 includes a top wall 23 andside walls 24. The hinge bracket 22 is snugly received between the walls17 of the supporting bracket 15 and pivots 25 connecting the walls 24 ofthe hinge bracket 22 with the walls 17 of the supporting bracket 15. Themounting is such that a friction fit is had between the walls 24 and 17,so that when a leg is swung to its collapsed position under the tabletop, the same will be held in such position by the frictional contact ofthe walls 24 and 17.

Mounted directly in the inner end of each leg 10 is the combined latchand brace bar 26. A pivot pin 27 is employed for hingedly connecting theinner end of the latch and brace bar 26 to its leg 10, and the latch andbrace bar is normally held within the leg by means of a coil spring 28.The opposite ends of the spring bear respectively against the outer edgeof the latch and brace bar 26 and the outer face of the leg 10. Thebrace and latch bar 26 extends a material distance beyond the inner endof its leg and is provided with a keeper notch 29, which is adapted toreceive the keeper flange 20, as will now appear.

As best shown in Figure 3, the latch and brace bar 26 extendslongitudinally of its leg and is normally housed within the leg, withthe exception of the extreme outer end thereof. The inner end of theslot 13 is widened as at 14, in order to facilitate the assembling ofthe spring with the pivot pin 27 and the latch bar and the outer end ofthe slot has a width substantially equal to the width of the brace andlatch bar so that the walls of the slot will form a guide therefor.Considering that a leg 10 is in its collapsed position, as shown in fulllines in Figure 3, with the spring holding the latch and brace bar inlongitudinal alignment with its leg, then upon opening movement of theleg outwardly, the latch bar will bear against the wear plate 16 of thesupporting bracket 15 and upon continuing opening movement of the leg,the latch bar will be gradually swung outward of the leg to an inclinedposition relative to the leg, and until the edge of the latch bar ridesover the keeper flange 20, at which time the flange Will ride into thekeeper notch 29 (see dotted lines in Figure 3). The spring 28 alsofunctions to hold the latch bar in this latched position, and it can beseen that the latch and brace bar extends upwardly and outwardly fromthe leg toward the skirt of the table and that the bar not onlyfunctions to latch the leg in its open position but to also brace theleg and to effectively withstand strains upon the table top.

In order to close the leg, it is merely necessary to place the handunder the corner of the table and momentarily pull out on the latch andbrace bar 26 until the latch bar is away from the keeper flange and atthis time, the leg can be swung inwardly to its collapsed position withthe latch and brace bar riding on the wear plate 16 of the supportingbracket.

Various changes in details may be made without departing from the spiritor the scope of this invention, but what we claim as new is:

1. A fixture for mounting collapsible legs of a table to a topcomprising a supporting bracket of a substantially U- shape incross-section including an attaching and wear plate, spaced parallelside walls on the plate and an angularly extending keeper flange on theouter edge of said plate, a table leg having a longitudinally extendingslot opening out through the outer face thereof and the inner endthereof, a hinge bracket rigidly secured to the inner end of said legand disposed between the side Walls of the supporting bracket, meanshingedly connecting the hinge bracket to the side walls of thesupporting bracket, a combined latch and brace bar normally receivedwithin the slot of said leg and extending longitudinally of said legwith the extreme outer end of the bar extending beyond the leg and slot,means hingedly connecting the inner end of the bar to the leg, springmeans normally holding the bar within the leg, the outer end of thelatch bar bearing against the wear and attaching plate upon openingmovement of the leg to move the bar outwardly of the leg and angularlyrelative thereto, the inner edge of said bar adjacent to its outer endbeing provided with a keeper notch for receiving the keeper flange whenthe leg is opened to its full extent, said spring functioning to holdthe bar in contact with the keeper flange.

2. In a table having a top and legs hingedly connected therewith forfolding inwardly against said top when in their collapsed position andoutwardly to an open posi' tion beyond the vertical to form a widespreading base and a fixture for supporting each leg including asupporting bracket securely fastened to the under surface of the tabletop including an attaching and wear wall having an angularly extendingkeeper fiange on its outer edge and spaced parallel depending walls onits side edges, a hinge bracket securely fastened to the inner end ofits leg, means pivotally securing the hinge bracket to the side walls,said leg being of a hollow construction and having a longitudinallyextending slot on its outer face, a combined latch and brace barreceived in said leg through said slot, means pivotally securing theinner end of the bar to said leg, spring means normally holding thelatch bar within said leg and in longitudinal alignment therewith, theextreme outer end of said latch bar extending beyond the leg and havinga keeper notch on its inner edge, said outer end of the latch barengaging the attaching and wear wall upon opening movement of the leg toswing the latch bar out of said leg and at an angle thereto and over thekeeper flange for positioning said keeper flange in said keeper notch,and said leg being of a tubular construction and said spring beingcoiled about the pivot for said bar and having its opposite ends engagerespectively the bar and the outer face of the leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS1,596,753 Moore Aug. 17, 1926 1,606,956 Murphy Nov. 16, 1926 1,902,690Corporon Mar. 21, 1933 1,905,862 Harman Apr. 25, 1933 1,995,260 FlintMar. 19, 1935 2,432,266 Wilkinson Dec. 9, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,203Great Britain 1912 361,783 Great Britain Nov. 26, 1931 412,220 GreatBritain Iune 27, 1934 423,034 Great Britain Jan. 17, 1935 474,012 GreatBritain Oct. 25, 1937 501,459 Great Britain Feb. 28, 1939

